FC Porto Enters Into The Metaverse With Upland Agreement

FC Porto has announced a strategic agreement with Upland, a platform for the metaverse mapped to the real world.

The Portuguese football club is pioneering fan engagement and empowering the communities of FC Porto and Upland to participate in new types of value creation and experiences.

With this agreement, the two partners are joining forces to build the future of fandom in the metaverse.

The introduction of FC Porto to Upland includes opening the city of Porto with NFT properties mapped to their real world addresses that fans can purchase; the construction of FC Porto’s Estádio do Dragão (Dragon Stadium); and the launch of the first suite of NFTs of a European football club.

Unique to Upland, fans can collect common and rare NFTs via fun and engaging game mechanics and offer their NFTs in player-owned and operated shops located on their virtual properties throughout the metaverse. The first phase of the FC Porto rollout in Upland will happen during the 2022/23 season.

“We’re thrilled to welcome FC Porto as the first European football club to join the Upland metaverse,” said Dirk Lueth, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Upland.

“European football is a way of life – it’s something you eat, sleep, and breathe – and for Portistas (FC Porto fans), being able to bring that passion with them to the metaverse is an unparalleled opportunity to deepen that fandom.

“With Upland, we are taking fans beyond transaction-centric NFT marketplaces into an activity-driven metaverse experience that engages them with the team and football players they love.”

“To say this is just another way we’re engaging with fans is an understatement,” Tiago Gouveia, Marketing Director for FC Porto said.

“Being the first soccer club in the world to establish itself with its city, stadium, players, and fans in the metaverse catapults our brand to the cutting edge in this arena. We’re always on the lookout for new opportunities and we won’t let the metaverse pass us by. This partnership is proof of that.”

Pedro Albuquerque, Head of International at FC Porto, added: “FC Porto’s international growth is made on many levels – and to think of the metaverse of the future is a mistake. It’s knocking at our door and we want to be on the right side of history.

“This new opportunity is exciting, especially as we’re the first in the entire soccer world, and I believe will bring our fans unique opportunities for interaction, literally creating a new world filled with Portismo!”

Upland is available to download for free on iOS, Android and the web, and can be played from anywhere in the world.